Defining the components of the research pipeline.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has proposed that research moves from “bench to bedside” through a Pipeline consisting of distinct research categories bridged by bidirectional translation. The original NIH Pipeline has now been expanded to include practice- and community-based research. We developed operational definitions for the elements along the expanded NIH Pipeline. The proposed definitions were pilot-tested and refined using the Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP) and the Secure Internet-Linked Web Technologies (SILK) database containing funding information for individual NIH awards. Using our definitions, two reviewers independently agreed on the categorization of 94% of 866 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded projects, and 99% of projects could be placed into a single research category.